Manuel Matji Movies
- 1980
In this scary Spanish thriller, a young girl's husband rents her a lovely home just outside of Madrid so she can spend the last three months of her pregnancy in peace and luxury. Unfortunately, just as they arrive at the home, the girl realizes that it is the place where she had secretly had an illegal abortion five years before. The clinic is long-gone, but this doesn't ease the woman's disquiet. Things get even worse when she learns that her upstairs neighbor is the old abortionist's assistant. This woman has gone insane and keeps all the abortion tools and jars full of fetuses in the attic. In the end, the assistant loses all reason and tries to destroy the pregnant girl and the home. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Javier Escriva, Silvia Aguila, (more)
- 2000
Based on an idea by noted Spanish filmmaker Ricardo Franco, this gritty rural drama is directed by Daniel Cebrian. Failed singer Luz (Pilar Punzano) reluctantly returns to her hometown after being raped by record company honcho Fredy Barleta (Jose Coronado). Of course, home is not much better for the lass -- her ex-cop father is so profoundly depressed that he does not speak, and her jealous childhood boyfriend is still angry with her for leaving. Meanwhile, Luz's best friend Cascabel (Irene Visedo) longs to flee her psychotically possessive father Tadeo -- who makes her wear a bell so that he can locate her. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antonio Dechent
- 1986
With a message that is certainly slanted to one side, this engaging and well-wrought drama by Antonio Gimenez-Rico attacks the political and intellectual life as so much demagoguery and pedantry, and contrasts politics with the wisdom of a rustic country peasant. The story is told in flashbacks, as the recently widowed wife of a Socialist politician (Juan Luis Galiardo) meets with a successful congressman for lunch. Her late husband retired in 1977 after visiting a small and remote village and talking to a man who lived there. Mayor Cayo (Francisco Rabal), and his wife and lone dog live in one house in the village. The only other house is occupied by a man that Cayo has not associated with for many years. As the Socialist politician debates with Cayo (trying to get his vote) the peasant-mayor debunks politics in general. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francisco Rabal, Juan Luis Galiardo, (more)
- 1984
Meant to reflect the harsh realities of segments of society in 1960s, Franco-era Spain, this slow-moving, drawn-out story is about a struggling, impoverished family who work on the estate of a wealthy aristocrat. Paco (Alfredo Landa) is the head of his small family who constantly tries to placate his irascible overlords and also teaches them how to hunt birds. His wife Régula (Terele Pávez) is as subservient as Paco. The family is rounded out by a mute, crippled daughter, a son away at military service, and Azarias (Francisco Rabal), an uncle whose mental stability is in question. These individuals are contrasted with Señor Iván (Juan Diego) who rules over them with a detached incomprehension that brands the family as not much different than the animals he hunts. The señor has no compunction about shooting Azarias's pet bird, or forcing Paco to continue with a bird hunt even though he has fallen and broken his leg. Given the insane behavior of the aristocratic Iván, the half-crazy Azarias might be the only one to get through to him on his own level. The 1984 Cannes Film Festival awarded Alfredo Landa and Francisco Rabal a shared "Best Actor" Award for their roles in this film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alfredo Landa, Francisco Rabal, (more)
- 1990
In 1912, the Rio Negro in the northern part of the Amazon was one of the places where ambitious men went to try and get rich quick in the rubber trade and other jungle-related businesses. In this story, the local population endures the excesses of strong men who vie with one another for power. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ángela Molina, Frank Ramirez, (more)
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